The Soldier's Journal
by Banjofreaklad78
Summary: This takes place during the series but also the Civil War. The confederacy received diplomatic stance with the Fire Nation and now the Union Army is teamed up with the other two nations. Aang James, fights alongside with his brothers Tyler and Tommy James
1. The New Soldier

The Soldier's Journal ch.1: the new soldier

March 4th 1861

It was a hard day today, My two friends and I were walking to a town that had a fortuneteller in it. I was in front of the two thinking. Sokka was complaining about hardly any sleep and only little food. Katara was looking at the woods that surrounded us. I leaned my glider on my shoulder. I closed my eyes, breathing in that warm spring air. I opened my eyes. I just kept walking. My friends from the water tribe were looking around. I just kept walking. My two friends were siblings. I myself have siblings. They are brothers. I have two brothers. One named Tyler Hanson James, after my uncle Hanson Tyler James, who was killed in the Indian Wars and my brother Thomas or Tommy Harrison James after my grandpa who fought in the War of 1812. I am Aang Harrison James. Named after my dad's grandpa.

I noticed a man in blue walking. His blue kepi hat covered his eyes, he had brown hair, his left arm on his uniform was torn, his was limping, his pants on the left leg was blood stained, his whole uniform was blood stained. He looked at me and I was looking at him. He nodded hi to me. I nodded back. He looked on and I looked on. I was still thinking of that soldier. "Aang" said my friend Katara who was trying to break my trance. "Aang!" she yelled. "W-what?" I stuttered in surprise. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Yeah I'm fine just lost in my thoughts" I said. She nodded. "You know pretty soon Aang, you'll become one of them" said my friend Sokka. "I know and yet I will see more death than ever before" I said. "Let's hope we find your brothers here. That man looked like a man from his army." Said Sokka. "I know" I said. I looked on and I was still walking.

Katara was standing next to me now, a man was trying to fight some creature. He got himself tangled in some vines and the creature was charging at him. Sokka's knife was in reach. I grabbed it. "Hey!" Sokka said. "Aang!" Katara yelled. I cut the vines, helping the man. The creature came at me. I tackled it to the ground. He tried to bite me. I almost slit his throat. I moved the blade closer to his back and slit that part. He yelped. I got off and he ran off. The man was extremely grateful. Katara and Sokka were both astounded. I handed the bloodied knife to Sokka. "You could of killed it for meat!" Sokka yelled at me taking his blade. Katara patted my shoulder.

The man gave us an umbrella. It started raining. Katara and I were under the umbrella. Soon Sokka had an egg in his hands but he had to keep dry. I just smiled. It stopped raining all the sudden and we kept walking. Sokka kept grumbling about being wet and cold. Katara was holding the umbrella closed at this time. I just leaned my glider on my shoulder like before. We entered the town. People looked at us. I smiled. "Its him" said some talking about me. We were walking.

We came to the fortuneteller. Her name was Aunt Wu. She had a helper named Meng. She was about 11 or 12 about my age Sokka would say. Aunt Wu came out. Soon she asked one of us to come in her room and she would tell a fortune. I couldn't help but listen in to Katara's since I have a big crush on her. Her's was something about marrying a strong bender and I think I was a strong bender so there was chance for me for her to love me. I silently jumped for joy then I ran back to my place.

I was next, I walked into her room and sat down. She told me to throw a bone into the fire pit. I threw it in there and it made the fire glow brighter but then just got back to its normal self. She said "You are Aang James, a James Brother, becoming a soldier" I knew she was right. But then she said "You will be seeing a lot of horrific moments in this war" I nodded. "But good news is, you aren't renited with your brothers yet are you?" she asked me. I shook my head. "No miss" I said. "Well you will be soon, they are here in this town" she said. I looked at her wide eye. "My brothers…they're here?!" I asked. She nodded. I got up and looked at the window. She smiled. "Good luck finding them" she said. I nodded and left the room.

After I heard my brothers were in the town, I wanted to go look for them. I saw soldiers but no man that looked like me. Sokka was having disbeliefs about Aunt Wu. I was just focused on finding my brothers. Katara came to me. "Any luck?" she asked me. I shook my head. She said "I know you'll find them" she said patting my shoulder. Meng came up. "Hey Aang" she said. "Hey" I replied. Katara looked down at her. "I know where your brothers are" she said. "Really where?" I asked. "Near the south end of the town about 1 mile." She said. Katara looked at me. "I'm going to meet them" I said to Katara. She nodded. I ran off and into the woods I went. I soon heard guitars and banjos playing. I saw tents. They were everywhere. I saw a man on horseback ride to me. "State your name" he demanded. "Aang Harrison James" I said. "Oh God, please come Avatar James" he said. I followed him. We stopped and I saw two men talking. They were at a table with a map laid out. One was wearing his hat the other wasn't. They both had brown hair. They both had arrows. "Captain and Lt. James. I bring before you your brother" the man said. The two looked up and I revealed myself. "Aang!" they both said. They came to me. One who had green eyes hugged me. The other who had blue eyes like Katara hugged me last. "I'm sure you don't remember me." Said the green eyes boy. "You're Tommy" I said. Tommy nodded and gave me a man hug. "And you are Tyler" I said. Tyler nodded.

My brothers and I were talking for hours, soon I came back into town. I went into my home and I fell vast asleep. Katara and Sokka were already asleep. We slept until 8am. I went back to camp with Katara and Sokka to meet my brothers. Then we finished talking and I headed back into town with Katara and Sokka. I found out about the panda lily from Tommy. Who had a girl back at home. So I decided to give it a try. Tyler said it wouldn't hurt to try. I went up the hill and there I spotted the panda lily and something else and the Confederate headed straight to the town. I dropped the lily and Sokka and I ran back into town warning people but it was too late Aunt Wu was making a big mistake by checking the clouds. We tried all our best to help the town.

I heard gun fire. "Not today they don't!" I yelled. Katara and Sokka said "No Aang!" but it was too late I joined up with Tyler's regiment. My brothers didn't agree of me fighting. They said it was for trained soldiers but I didn't listen. The confederates headed right at us. I waited until the first casualty and that came soon. The first shot ranged out and it killed a private right next to me. Then we started firing. The private said "Please for God sakes take my gun, my bayonet, my ammo and hat and show who we are" he then died. I took his hat. I picked up his ammunition pouch and slugged it over my shoulders and drew the bayonet. I started firing at the rebs. We soon charged.

The rebs retreated and I was wounded in the arm making it my first wound of war. Tyler and Tommy came to me. "that may have been the best battle I ever fought in because you were right there with us" Tommy said. He was like a pastor. "That is true brother" Tyler said. I smiled. Tyler handed me a package. "We'll meet you tomorrow morning, 7am, report to duty." Tyler said. I nodded. Tyler saluted to me and left. I opened the package. It was a blue uniform. Katara and Sokka ran to me and hugged me. Tommy headed out of town with Tyler. I walked back to the house I was staying at. Today was a great sad day for all of us soldiers.

To be continued


	2. Love and Pain

The Soldier's Journal ch.2: Love and Pain

April 18th 1861,

Been a while since I wrote in this here journal but I've been busy. The good news is I am back on my feet now. A week ago we met a deserting fire bender. His name was Jeong Jeong. That seemed to be a interesting name to me. Chamberlain has been talking about promoting us brothers to higher ranks. I don't want it though because that would put more pressure on me. I haven't been sleeping much this past week. We were in countless skirmishes with the rebs. They seem to be following us everywhere. We captured some but not many. We have about 5 rebs taken prisoner. We might send 'em to a prison near Buckingham in the Earth Kingdom or they'll change sides and fight on our side. We don't know what to do with 'em. Chamberlain and I were talking about it a couple of nights ago. I disagreed letting them in our regiment. Chamberlain is just clueless of what to do with 'em just as we are.

My two friends and I were in a fire nation deserting camp. The Union campsite was right by that area. I camped with my boys. I haven't been talking to Katara or Sokka all that much lately. But I wish I could. I can't seem to get a break from reporting to duty. If I'm not in battle, I'm sent with Tyler's friend Will to scout out the rebs. If I'm not doing that, I have to talk to my staff about campaigns and other stuff like that. I can't seem to have a break. Only when darkness falls I have my break. But that is extremely late at night. When Chamberlain says "You are relieved for the night Captain" I sigh with relief and go to my tent and eat my dinner. We haven't been able to get enough rations around the camp. The wagons are taking their free time about it. I've heard we lost Kurnsville in the earth kingdom colony but it is not a big town. We let the rebs have it.

But soon I would have to defend more cities and towns that are important. But I have to learn all four elements as well. I started learning fire bending but not too long ago I burned Katara! I foolishness with the flame in my hands were catching wind making it larger. Sokka shoved me to the ground when he heard what happened. Katara was crying and I was responsible. He came to me that night and said "You are not to talk to me or my sister unless if you are telling us you are going to battle" he decreed. "You can't do that" I said. "Why not?" He asked me. "Because you two are my friends." I said. "Friends don't burn other friends" he said. I was about to say something. "Let me talk to your sister and not you, you god damn fool, you don't tell me what to do, you give me respect because I am a higher rank than you private" I ordered. "No" he said. "Well then I ain't gonna talk to you, you're out of the army" I ordered. I soon walked off. After that horrid day I never talked to him again.

Today I spent my day writing navigations to the F Company that is near Jamesburg. It will take them about a week to get up here. We are in hilly country and it is pretty mountainous up here as well. We are in the Gorge Mountains. It should take about 3 weeks to get to the harbor that will take us to the Northern Water Tribe and a lot can happen in that period of time. Chamberlain has been fairly busy like the rest of us. His only break is sleeping and he doesn't get much of that. It reminds me when my father was sent out on search parties for the Indians that lived near the Southern Air Temple. We sometimes lost our natives to them. Almost once a month someone is sent to make trades out with the tribe and they don't come back. Luckily we had over a thousand of people.

We were in a major skirmish near the Poromac River. It was Admiral Zhao and some boats that seemed to be navy. There was about 120 privates out of the boats. I fought Admiral Zhao both sword fighting and bending. Katara and Sokka were watching the battle from the camp. Cannons from the ships fired at my men that were firing back at them. Many from the ships fell into the river when they were shot. Men from my side fell as well. We bayonet charged at the ships and we climbed unto of them. A cannon not far from here was loaded. "Fire the cannon!" I heard someone yell. "Jump off the ship!" I ordered my men. They jumped and went back to shore. The ship was hit and it was sunk. I smiled and knew this was our victory. The cannon fired again and sank another ship. Then Admiral Zhao was so hot headed that he grabbed a gun and shot the cannoniers. I jumped on his ship and started sword fighting him. I was pushed into the river by his strong force and the men fired at that ship. They fired at the ship's bottom. The ship was wooden. The ship was hit so much that the bottom took in the water and eventually sank. Admiral Zhao retreated with at least 20 men left. We cheered and I smiled. Katara came to me and hugged me. I had a wound on my left arm. Katara healed it for me. "Sorry that I burned you" I apologized. "It's okay Aang" she said to me. I looked at my dead comrades with my eyes filled with guilt. "I'm healed" she said. I looked at her confused. "Y-you are?" I asked. "I am, and I heard you and Sokka talking the other night, about the three of us. I don't think it's right for you to not talk to Sokka. You have to tell him that he is not in charge of you" she said to me. "But he ain't in charge of you either" I said. "I'll take care of myself Aang" she said. I nodded getting those words clearly.

Ever since that day, Sokka and I still hadn't talked. I hadn't ridden Appa. I rode my horse being a real soldier. I was talking to my brothers a lot lately learning what they were doing before enlisting in this war. Tyler and Tommy went to the same school not knowing that they were brothers, that's what surprised me. We talked and played our instruments and even chased one another. It was fun to be with my brothers. They were funny and smart and very noble. We were the best of friends. I met their four friends that joined them. It reminded of me and Sokka and Katara. But these men are a soldier gang. A mess they would call 'em. We were giving the name of the Soldier Mess or the Band of Soldiers by some of our men. Tyler's and Tommy's friends were Robert Jefferson, William Carr, Tucker Gordan, who used to be a reb, and Jason Kindler. I like them all. I smiled when someone tried cracked a joke and if it was funny I would laugh.

Our "Mess" went down to the creek earlier today. We had a competition of skipping stones. Robert won the 1st game and I won the 2nd. Katara came to me when we were playing another game and she said "Aang can I talk to you?" I skipped my stone. It hopped 5 times which was a record for me. "Whew boy, what an arm you got there!" said Will. I smiled. Tyler patted my shoulder. "Excuse me for a moment" I said. They all nodded. I walked off with Katara and they continued to skip stones. We were talking about 100 meters away from the camp. "Why aren't you talking to Sokka or me?" she asked me. I wished she never asked me that it's been hard lately for me. "Well I getting to know my brothers better than I did 100 years ago. I just reunited with them about two weeks ago and we're catching up on our lives" I explained to her. She said "But you haven't talked to us" she said. "You know when you reunited with your friend Bato?" I asked. "Yeah" she said. "Well you were happy to be with an old family friend that you hadn't seen in a while." I said. "But we caught up in one night" Katara said. "Well that was because you seen him about 2 years ago, Katara, my brothers were taken away from me when I was only 11 and that was 100 years ago. I saw my family decreasing. Tyler and Tommy were taken to America and I hadn't seen them since and when I saw them again it was 100 years later. I was in an iceberg. Tommy and Tyler were underground for 100 years. They were trapped underground for a hundred years Katara, and they survived like how I survived in the iceberg." I told her. She was surprised to the fact that my brothers and I were separated. "I'm sorry Aang" she said. "Don't be its okay" I said. She nodded. "Go and have fun with your friends" she said. I smiled. "I'll see you at dinner." I said. I was so absent minded that I kissed her cheek. She blushed and I blushed.

I walked back to camp thinking of what happened between me and Katara. I was sitting in my tent. I picked up this journal and started writing. So here I am now. I had some very sad events occurring these past weeks. My life is very complicated now. Every soldier's life in complicated.

To be continued


	3. Hard Work and What Not

The Soldier's Journal ch.3: Hard Work and what not

October 2nd 1861

It's gotten warmer luckily, but it will get colder soon. Haven't been in much combat lately. My boys and I are tired as hell though. We had to make some trenches for other Union units. We worked on our Breastworks for about 12 hours a day. It started getting hot about the last week in April. I have no clue what the day of the week it is and I just don't give a damn. Every day there is war, and every day is a hard workin day that doesn't seem to pay off. I feel like we're building these things for no reason at all. Men keep choppin up them trees and moves them over to the trench they're workin on and they make cut down some more and places it with the spiky end pointing diagonally to the sky. Once were done for the day, we camp out in those trenches and we move out in the morning.

I helped a couple of privates haul a huge log about three times my size. My shirt was off. Luckily Katara was in the nearby town. The heat drenched on us. Sokka wasn't doing anything at all. Just makin me do all the work. I don't mind though because someday I'll be stronger than him and he would wish that he helped us. I feel like I am stronger than him. I walked over to the ditch that was becoming a trench. I placed the log right beside the trench and we started whacking at it with our axes. Katara came and saw me shirtless. I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I turned and looked at her. I was embarrassed. Most of my battalion worked shirtless because of the intense heat. I continued to whack at the log. We cut the log into thirds. I heard drums banging. We looked at saw men marching. A man on horseback was in front looking at our work. Tyler and Tommy met up with the man. "How are you guys doing?" the man said. "Very good sir, we should be done with this trench in about 2 hours or so, been hard trying to find living trees sadly" Tyler reported. "Well I must say I am impressed with your guys work, are you two helping them?" asked the man on horseback. "Yes sir, all of us brothers pitched in to help our men" said Tommy. "Well I am entirely impressed, you two must be the James Brothers" said the man on horseback. "Yes sir, our other brother is working over there, I can get him if you want me too" Tyler said. I continued to whack at the wood. "No, I don't want to disrupt him with his work" said the man. "If I May sir" Tommy said. "You may" the man said nodding. "What is your regiment's named?" Tommy asked. "The 58th Ohio" said the man. Tyler and Tommy nodded. I continued to work. I looked over at Katara she was staring at me. The men started digging. I moved the logs onto the earth above me. "Hey Private hand me that shovel" I said pointing at the shovel next to him. The private tossed me the shovel. "Thanks" I said. He nodded and continued his dig. I started digging. I scooped up the earth with my shovel and tossed it above me onto the earth. We kept digging. Rocks were in our way and we picked them up and tossed them to the side.

I stopped about 2 hours later, the 58th Ohio was back and they took their positions. I met the colonel of the regiment. His name was Colonel Franklin. He was African-American which I found extremely rare because we are freeing his people. Colonel Franklin was proud at my men's work. I took my shirt and walked to Sokka and Katara. Sokka was drinking some water. "I can't believe you" he said. "What now?" I asked. "You are getting praised by the commanders" Sokka said. "I'm working Sokka" I said. "Well you shouldn't be, I should be in this army" Sokka said. "You are" I explained. "I know but I should be captain not you" said Sokka. I said "I am captain and you ain't now shut up or you are going to be relieved" He didn't say anything more. Katara looked at me. My shirt was on the ground. "Hey Aang can I talk to you?" she asked me. "Sure thing" I said. We walked into the forest. "Are you okay?" she asked me. "Yeah why?" I asked her. "You seem to be very angry against Sokka" she said. "Come on he's a jerk, he says I can't be a captain, you were there" I said. "He's just angry because he thinks he is tougher than you and he doesn't get a chance to prove it" Katara told me. I thought about what she said. "I'll speak to Colonel Chamberlain 'bout this" I said to her. She nodded. "I'll make sure your brother is in more combat" I said to her. She smiled. "I best get to the boys, I'll see you around" I told her. I walked to the Union camp. I sat down on a tree stump. "Damn its hot" I said taking off my hat. Tyler and Tommy were sitting with me. "You said it" Tommy said.

We talked for about two hours and then the sun had set. It was around 7pm. We ate our dinner. I was teaching Tommy a good fiddle tune called "Uncle Joe" Tommy was a fiddler too but he plays mostly guitar. Tyler can play anything. You hand him an instrument and give him about 10 minutes he can figure it out faster than any of us can. If he gets back home I bet he'll have a livin as a musician. Performs all over the eastern and Midwest states of America. That is if he can make through this war. Tommy and I will probably become farm boys. Hopefully, when I'm at my farm I have some pretty girl like Katara livin with me. I hope dear god I last through the whole war.

To be continued


End file.
